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Cinque Terre & Toscana

Epic blend of Tuscany and the Ligurian Coast

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What to expect

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Mountains & sea: An undiscovered blend from the Riviera to Garfagnana

Destination

Italy

Activity

Biking

Level

Advanced

Level

Perfect for the cycling newbies who already enjoy being active, or anyone who just wants to take it easy.

Pedal at a meandering pace, stopping to take pictures, savor a leisurely lunch and explore the surroundings. Enjoy quiet roads along flat and rolling terrain zigzagging through vineyards, olive groves and farmland.

Average daily distance: 35-45 miles

Terrain: flat and rolling

Our Athletic Beginner tours are perfect for those who aren’t avid cyclists, but are fit and love to exercise regularly.

On these trips, you’ll enjoy a flowing pace with plenty of time throughout the day to indulge in the local specialties, take in the local culture and enjoy the magnificent views. There will be an occasional hill, more rolling terrain and higher mileage than an Easy tour.

Average daily distance: 35-45 miles

Terrain: flat and rolling

Our guides will offer cycling clinics and one-on-one coaching in cadence, positioning and the art of shifting efficiently on rolling hills.

You love being active and cycling is your preferred way. You are in good physical condition and ride whenever you can.

Intermediate tours maintain a steady pace with opportunities to push yourself by tackling challenging climbs with great descents over stunning terrain. You’ll still have time to explore and enjoy the landscape and towns you’ll visit.

Average daily distance: 40-50 miles

Terrain: rolling with some hills

You are an avid cyclist who trains regularly, participates in bicycling events and is eager to plan their next bicycling vacation. You enjoy a vigorous ride, challenging climbs and thrilling descents.

These “Epic” and “follow the race” tours are spectacular and have plenty of classic climbs and are perfect for cyclists who covet long mileage with lots of hills and varying terrain.

Average daily distance: 45+ miles

Terrain: hilly with long climbs

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Duration

11 days / 10 nights

You've heard Cinque Terre was a delightful place to hike but had no idea there were stunning coastal rides too. You'll literally hit the high points of Liguria and Tuscany on this advanced tour.

You've heard Cinque Terre was a delightful place to hike but had no idea there were stunning coastal rides too. You'll literally hit the high points of Liguria and Tuscany on this advanced tour.

This exclusive Ciclismo adventure traverses the Italian regions of Liguria and Toscana, highlighting the very best of these two distinctly different—yet strikingly gorgeous—areas of northwest Italy. We experience coastal rides along seaside villas and exclusive marinas, such as Portofino and the Bay of Poets. We’ll enjoy the color and cheer in the Cinque Terre before delving into the Alpi Apuane Mountains to immerse ourselves in “wild” Tuscany. This trip offers a beautiful alternating combination of sea and mountain views, with exquisite cuisines and fascinating local architecture and culture to top it all off!

Tour Essence

Cycle a mix of challenging, coastal rides and mountainous bike treks

Ride and hike through the famous Cinque Terre villages and mountains

Experience two very distinctly different regions that offer diverse food, wine, history, traditions and culture

What to Expect

Terrain

Hilly

Start Location

Rapallo

End Location

Punta Ala

Mileage

Average Daily: 45 milesTotal: 401 miles

Elevation

Average Daily: 4,181 ftTotal: 41,810 ft

What's Included

Once you have a trip confirmed, we will feed you a steady diet of additional pre-departure information that includes: How to train, prepare, pack and all the wonderful, inspirational and practical things you want and need to know before you go! Our Travel Advisors will be available to help plan your pre- and post-tour travel.

We experience coastal rides along seaside villas and exclusive marinas, such as Portofino and the Bay of Poets. We also delve into the Alpi Apuane Mountains to immerse ourselves in “wild” Tuscany and experience the Cinque Terre. This trip is a beautiful combination of sea and mountain views, with great cuisine and culture to top it all off!

Confirmed tours are dates that have been selected by us that have a very high probability of reaching the minimum group size for us to run the tour and for you to receive the best Ciclismo Classico experience. These tours are confirmed as much as a year in advance, compared to our regularly scheduled tours which are confirmed around 90 days prior to departure. When you place your deposit for a confirmed tour, you have the green light to make your pre and post travel plans and even book your flight with our personal guarantee that your tour will run!

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Optional Single Supplement

If you are traveling alone, this optional single supplement will guarantee you a room to yourself at each hotel. The cost of a single room is often more than half the price of a shared room, so this additional supplement reflects that increased cost for each night over the course of the trip.

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Itinerary

Start Location

Fly Into

End Location

Fly Out Of

Arrival: Rapallo

We will meet at 1 PM in Rapallo for lunch before fitting everyone on bikes and taking a warm-up ride to Portofino, which offers expansive views over the promontory to the vast Ligurian Sea. Here we’ll be surrounded by splashy pastel-colored houses decorated in trompe l’oeil, elegant boutiques, fisheries and yacht-filled marinas.

Meals Provided

Average Mileage

Elevation Gain

Riding Terrain

Meals Provided

Accommodations

The Excelsior Palace Hotel offers wonderful views of Rapallo Bay and is a short walk from the water. Enjoy elegant rooms, satellite TV, and other amenities.

Luxury Level

Day2

Levanto

With seaviews abound, we travel south from Rapallo with much of the ride following the beaches of the Ligurian Sea. Eventually we’ll arrive to the bustling, lively town of Levanto. After cooling our feet at the small beach in town, we’ll settle in for the evening.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Average Mileage

44 miles; extra loop: 52 miles

Elevation Gain

2,760 ft; extra loop: 4,360 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodations

This 4 star hotel is situated in Levanto, just a short distance away from the beautiful Cinque Terre. The hotel was recently built and includes all the facilities and comforts of a 4-star hotel to ensure that guests enjoy a relaxing stay. Found in a convenient location from which to explore the coast, the hotel has an outdoor swimming pool with a massage section, wellness center with sauna, Turkish bath and shower.

Luxury Level4 stars

Day3

Cinque Terre Hike

After breakfast in the morning, we’ll start our hike from Levanto so we can hike the grandiose Cinque Terre, or “Five Lands.” This region offers magnificent, rugged terrain with awe-inspiring views from the dramatic cliffs above the five colorful villages. We’ll hike through the Cinque Terre National Park with breathtaking views of the Italian Riviera. We’ll have lunch in Monterosso, then we’ll take a ferry from there to Riomaggiore and a train back to Levanto in the afternoon.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Average Mileage

Hike: 4 hours, stone step path along cliffs

Elevation Gain

980 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodations

This 4 star hotel is situated in Levanto, just a short distance away from the beautiful Cinque Terre. The hotel was recently built and includes all the facilities and comforts of a 4-star hotel to ensure that guests enjoy a relaxing stay. Found in a convenient location from which to explore the coast, the hotel has an outdoor swimming pool with a massage section, wellness center with sauna, Turkish bath and shower.

Luxury Level4 stars

Day4

Levanto to Lerici

We’ll pedal through the Cinque Terre along gorgeous roads lined with aloe plants, macchia and other flora common near the Mediterranean. Our midday highlights the beautiful coastal town of Porto Venere where we’ll stop for lunch. Afterwards we pass the busy port of La Spezia into the castle-village of Lerici where we’ll spend the night. The ride today consists of a long ascent to start followed by alternating climbs until we arrive in Lerici.

Meals Provided

Breakfast

Average Mileage

49 miles

Elevation Gain

4,760 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast

Accommodations

The Europa Grand Hotel is situated between the coast and Castello di Lerici, a beautiful 12th-century fort. It is surrounded by olive groves, and has free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, among other amenities.

Luxury Level

Day5

Barga

Today we move inland and into the province of Lucca to our destination village, Barga. We are now riding through the Alpi Apuanes so expect longer, steeper inclines before reaching this fabulous little outpost in the densely wooded, lesser known agricultural area called the Garfagnana.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Average Mileage

59 miles

Elevation Gain

6,730 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodations

The Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco is nestled into a mountain backdrop with 1500 acres of land surrounding it making it a truly beautiful retreat with stunning views of the Tuscan landscape. It is the perfect place to unwind after a long ride. We will have access to Wi-Fi, top-of-the-line amenities and two outdoor pools.

Luxury Level

Day6

Garfagnana Loop

Get ready to ride up one of the most challenging climbs in Italy: San Pellegrino d’Alpe. It’s a long climb and the last 5 km are steep. The climb ends after the highest village in the Apennines, San Pellegrino in Alpe. The ride starts in Tuscany in the Province of Lucca and takes us to Emilia Romagna in the province of Modena. If you have strong legs the loop will take you up the mountain resort of the Passo dell’Abetone. Otherwise there will be the option to shorten the ride and return to the hotel to relax. The rest of the ride beyond Abetone is very nice with a beautiful downhill followed by long, rolling terrain.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Average Mileage

43 milesl extra loop: 71 miles

Elevation Gain

5,700 ft; extra loop: 7,510 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodations

The Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco is nestled into a mountain backdrop with 1500 acres of land surrounding it making it a truly beautiful retreat with stunning views of the Tuscan landscape. It is the perfect place to unwind after a long ride. We will have access to Wi-Fi, top-of-the-line amenities and two outdoor pools.

Luxury Level

Day7

Barga to Lucca

Today we’ll travel to the farming mill-towns of the Garfagnana, making our way to the spectacular walled city of Lucca. Be sure to take a ride around those walls! Tonight we’ll have an optional visit to Lucca.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Lunch

Average Mileage

41 miles

Elevation Gain

4,600 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodations

The 4-star Hotel San Luca Palace is a modern hotel built into a building originally constructed in 1540. It offers you a great look at the intriguing cultural allure of Lucca from within its ancient walls.

Luxury Level4 stars

Day8

Volterra

We continue riding today with a more than memorable stop in Italy’s most gorgeous Etruscan jewel-town: Volterra. We’ll roam the alleyways of this incredible town built on volcanic ‘tufo’ stone, with a first-class celebration evening on rustic Tuscan dishes paired with some unique locally produced wines. We’ll also have a guided walking tour of Volterra to learn more of the town’s rich history.

Meals Provided

Average Mileage

Elevation Gain

Riding Terrain

Meals Provided

Accommodations

Park Hotel le Fonti is set on a hillside overlooking Montecatini Val de Cecina, which provides the elegant benefits of a 4-star hotel with access to medieval Tuscan culture.

Luxury Level4-star

Day9

Castagneto Carducci

As we leave Volterra, we have a stunning ride in the hills of Tuscany where the superb Tuscan Ornellaia, Sassicaia, and Antinori wines are produced. We’ll stop for lunch in the charming little town of Bolgheri, then end the ride at the beautiful hotel facing the Mediterranean in Castagneto Carducci.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Average Mileage

43 miles; extra loop: 58 miles

Elevation Gain

1,610 ft; extra loop: 2,600 ft

Riding Terrain

Hilly, mountainous

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodations

The Tombolo Talasso Resort is a 5-star hotel has wonderful Etruscan beauty, containing vineyards and olive groves right between where the hills meet the sea. The resort has a magnificent private beach and outdoor pool as well as a high quality spa. This resort has all the modern amenities you would expect.

Luxury Level5 stars

Day10

Punta Ala

These quiet roads of Tuscany are our guide on our final day of riding! After the first climb, the terrain will become flat and rolling hills until we reach our final destination, the famous and exclusive resort town of Punta Ala right on coast. If you’d like to extend your stay here you can enjoy the beach, go sailing, or play golf at one of the best courses in Italy.

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Average Mileage

49 miles; extra loop: 61 miles

Elevation Gain

2,330 ft; extra loop: 5,050 ft

Riding Terrain

Rolling hills

Meals Provided

Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodations

The 5-star Baglioni Hotel Cala del Porto is situated on the elegant port of Punta Ala, boasting beautiful bay scener and views of Elba Island. On clear days you can see Corsica in the distance. There is also a pool and spa for you to rest and relax for your last night here in Tuscany.

Luxury Level5 stars

Day11

Arrivederci!

After breakfast around 9 am, we offer a group shuttle to Grosseto Train Station (approximately 45 minutes). From there you can take the train to Florence or Rome.